


so...how's parenting going? vol. iv: the case of the reoccurring announcement

by thealmightyavocado



Series: so...how's parenting going? [4]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Crack, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, absolute nonsense, the struggles of parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:34:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23506942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thealmightyavocado/pseuds/thealmightyavocado
Summary: Louis ruffles Rory’s floppy curls, sitting down on the stool closest to his son. “Rory, sweetheart, you know you don’t have to announce everything for us to listen to you.”“Yes, I do.” Rory insists adamantly, eyes wide.“Why?” Harry asks again, hoping to grasp just a single ounce of understanding into the innerworkings of this child’s mind. “Why Rory?”The question seems to utterly trigger Rory. “Cuz you don’t listen to me! I just told you! See! You’re not listening!”“Rory—”“Listen, Daddy Listen!” Rory stresses urgently.“I am listening, Rory I promise, I’m listening to you!” Harry frustratedly pledges.Rory shakes his head stubbornly, not at all willing to budge on his perspective. “Nuh uh. You only listen to Winnie now. I’m invisible.”or ever since the arrival of his baby sister, Rory no longer believes that his parents are really paying attention to him. Taking matters into his own four-year-old hands, he decides to announce everything he does.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Series: so...how's parenting going? [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1510697
Comments: 40
Kudos: 314





	so...how's parenting going? vol. iv: the case of the reoccurring announcement

**Author's Note:**

> hi lovelies!
> 
> thanks sooooo much for all the comments and messages about the series! I really love reading all the different ideas for Rory in the future! it seriously gives me inspiration and motivation to write, like literally this volume is more than double the length of the first one so thank you to all of you! feel free to continuing talking to me about anything @avocadolouie
> 
> I hope you all are staying safe and healthy in the midst of all the stress and tragedy in the world. Wishing the best for you and your families ❤️
> 
> hopefully this will bring you a little bit of joy and a nice quarantine activity! 
> 
> love lex .x

“IT’S TIME TO WAKE UUUUP!” Rory sings at the very top of his lungs, voice echoing throughout the kitchen at deafeningly loud volumes.

And the startling sound is all it takes for Harry to jolt awake from his precociously balanced position at the kitchen table, head slamming down hard on the wood as his arm slips from under his chin. “Ow…”

The banging of Harry’s forehead against tabletop startles Louis awake next, neck snapping up in sudden panic with his hair sticking up in all directions and a good amount of drool pooled along the side of his mouth. “Jesus…”

Harry doesn’t even remember falling asleep. Last he remembers, he and Louis sat down for a brief moment to have a cup of tea after finally getting Winter down for the night. It had been 3 A.M. and they were both delirious with sleep, hardly even communicating with tangible English sentences.

They’ve been taking turns waking up throughout the night to care for their two-month-old daughter, but it is definitely weighing on them. _Heavily_. It’s been night after night with less and less rest and it’s getting increasingly difficult to keep their eyes open throughout the day. Babies are a beautiful, precious gift, but god are Harry and Louis fucking exhausted. Not to mention the overactive four-year-old they are also somehow trying to parent. It’s easy to conclude that things are not necessarily in their favor right now.

“Wake up, wake up, wake up!” Rory sings rowdily as he skips around the island countertop in giddy circles, clapping his hands together.

Harry groans lowly as he rubs his throbbing forehead. “Please Rory…please, just give us a minute, alright…”

“But I’m _hungry_!” Rory huffs dramatically, pausing in front of his dad. “I want pancakes, Daddy! You promised me pancakes! Daddy! Dadddyyy! PANCAKES!”

Across the table, Louis blearily glares at the microwave clock, seeming personally victimized by the time displayed. Harry follows his line of sight and isn’t even surprised to discover that their son has woken them up at the timely hour of 5:43 A.M. on a Saturday morning. Lovely.

Rory has started up a self-driven nonsense song about pancakes and he is singing it straight into Harry’s ear as he tugs on both of Harry’s hands. “Pannnccakkkeess! Pan! Pan! Pan! Cake! Cake! Cake! Pannncaaaakeess!”

It doesn’t take long for the cries of their youngest child to mix in with the noise, echoing from the baby monitor left on the countertop. The noises continue to fill the house, but Harry and Louis spend the next thirty seconds just staring at each other blankly with half open eyes, wondering how their lives have reached this point of sheer exhaustion.

Louis takes a deep breath, trying to will himself awake. “I’ll uh get Winter and uh…”

“…I’ll get Rory’s breakfast going…” Harry finishes slowly as their son continues to yank on his hands urgently.

“Right, right…” Louis nods, scrubbing a hand over his tired face as he stands up. “And could you maybe start—”

“Coffee? I’m all over it, babe.”

Louis smiles softly, meeting Harry’s lips briefly as he passes by on his way out of the kitchen. “…Love you.”

“Love you too.” Harry mumbles back through a yawn, before focusing his attention back to Rory. “Alright Ro, let’s get you sorted, yeah?”

“Yay!” Rory cheers, practically losing his mind over the concept of pancakes, as he does every time Harry makes them for him.

After three minutes of climbing and rearranging, Rory settles himself on top of a barstool, preparing to watch Harry make pancakes. It’s somehow mesmerizing to him and also the perfect time for him to discuss whatever foolishness is currently in his little head.

“Daddy? Daddy, did you know that today is the first today?” Rory questions brightly, blinking up at Harry with wide inquisitive eyes. “Did you know that? Did you? Daddy?”

Harry pulls ingredient after ingredient out of the refrigerator. “Um…”

“There’s no today like _today_!” Rory theorizes. “It’s the only today...”

“Uh huh…”

“Have you ever woken up and thought…? What if today isn’t the day I gotta be in…” Rory pauses as though deep in thought over the conundrum he seems to have discovered bright and early this morning. “What if…what _if_ …if I woken up in the wrong day? How do I know what…what day it is? I think I like today…but…but...how do I know, Daddy? Daddy, how?”

Harry is hardly following the early morning ramblings of his four-year-old, channeling all his available energy towards successfully mixing up pancake batter in a large bowl.

Rory leans his little body further against the countertop, peering questioningly at Harry yet again. “Daddy, have you ever…have you ever skipped a day?”

“Hmm.” Harry thoughtlessly hums as he starts on a pot of coffee.

“Skipped! Daddy! _Skipped_! Have you ever skipped it?”

“Uh…? I don’t know, Rory…I don’t know…” Harry answers sluggishly, yawning through the words. It’s just far too early for an episode of _The World According to Forrest Tomlinson Styles_.

Louis comes back to the kitchen with a freshly changed baby curled up in his arms. He’s got her dressed in a cute lavender onesie that’s covered in animated frogs and the matching hat covering her head full of hair is shaped like a little green frog. It’s way too adorable for words and it’s only made more adorable by the way Louis is holding her to his chest. There’s something about Louis and babies that’s just absolutely mystifying to Harry even at five A.M.

Louis sets about the kitchen preparing Winter’s bottle onehanded with practiced ease, perfectly balancing the baby in the process.

“Papa, have you skipped?” Rory questions next, turning his attention away from Harry for a moment.

Louis pauses to look at Rory in complete confusion. “Have I what?”

“Skipped! Have you ever skipped a day? Like, before? Before today? Have you? Have you?”

Louis just blinks, clearly not following. “Uh…perhaps? Honestly, I don’t quite know how to answer that, love.”

Rory surprisingly just accepts that answer and dives right into rambling on again, talking their ears off about how interesting he apparently finds the progression of time today. Harry and Louis just nod along mindlessly to appease him, still barely awake as they busy themselves with the tasks at hand. Harry briefly fonds over Winter and her adorable outfit in between flipping pancakes while Louis tests the temperature of the bottle on his wrist.

But it doesn’t take very long for Rory to notice that his parents aren’t giving him real answers anymore. “You’re not listening to me!”

“Sorry honey, we’re just really tired.” Harry apologizes genuinely, turning his full attention back to his son. “We were up with your sister all night.”

Rory sighs, signature frown already furrowing his brow. “Everything is about her, isn’t it. La la la Winnie, la la la Winnie.” He blubbers on, swaying his curly head with every _la la_. “It’s never Rory. You don’t care about me anymore.”

“Ro, baby, that’s not true.” Louis denies instantly. “Look, Daddy is making you pancakes right now.”

Rory remains quiet, still glaring at them. “I got a nun-noce-ment.”

“Announcement?” Harry questions in clarification, as he pours two cups of freshly brewed coffee.

“Yes that.” Rory nods in confirmation.

“Rory, do you even know what announcement means?”

“Yes.” Rory nods his head again, this time looking very offended. “My nursery teacher Ms. Stacy says it all the time when she wants us to listen! She’ll say 1-2-3 all eyes on me.” He explains animatedly, singing his words. “So…I learned that it’s when…when I have something important to say.”

“Alright then, what is your announcement, Rory?” Louis entertains him.

“I want more attention.”

“That’s not an announcement.” Harry argues as he waves around a spatula.

“Well technically, yes it is. You just aren’t particularly interested in what he’s saying.” Louis whispers to Harry. “Which maybe proves his point?”

Harry easily gives up, settling for a mild eye roll as he flips over a pancake on the griddle.

“You don’t listen, so I gotta give you a ‘nouncement.” Rory explains further and Harry doesn’t even try to correct him this time, it’s close enough.

“But we _do_ listen.” Harry promises.

Rory pauses just to narrow his eyes at Harry. “I got a ‘noucement.”

Harry meets Rory’s gaze seriously, growing easily exasperated in his exhausted state. “I’m listening, Ro.”

“You don’t listen.” Rory tells him flatly, unamused. 

Louis loses it laughing, too tired to even hide it as his entire face crinkles in amusement.

“Papa, why are you laughing?”

“Because sometimes Rory...sometimes you’re just....” Louis shakes his head in a strange mix of awe, wonder, confusion, and amazement. He adjusts Winter in his arms before leaning over the counter towards his son, kissing his unruly curls. “I love you.”

“Well, I got another ‘nouncement.” Rory reveals. “I love you too.”

Louis ruffles Rory’s floppy curls, sitting down on the stool closest to his son. “Rory, sweetheart, you know you don’t have to announce everything for us to listen to you.”

“Yes, I do.” Rory insists adamantly, eyes wide.

“Why?” Harry asks again, hoping to grasp just a single ounce of understanding into the innerworkings of this child’s mind. “Why Rory?”

The question seems to utterly trigger Rory. “Cuz you don’t listen to me! I just told you! See! You’re not listening!”

“Rory—”

“Listen, Daddy _Listen_!” Rory stresses urgently.

“I am listening, Rory I promise, I’m listening to you!” Harry frustratedly pledges.

Rory shakes his head stubbornly, not at all willing to budge on his perspective. “Nuh uh. You only listen to Winnie now. I’m invisible.” 

“But you’re not invisible, Ro.” Louis promises, one hand still twisted in his curls.

“Yes I am. I’m the only one who sees me.”

“What?” Harry pauses with the spatula held midair, baffled by the extreme insinuation. “Bit dramatic don’t you think, Rory?”

“No, Daddy! No! I _am_ invisible!”

“But…we can see you…”

“No. You didn’t even see that I got dressed all by myself! Look at my outfit!” Rory balances his wobbly knees on the stool in an attempt to reveal his outfit of the day, complete with one regular blue sock and one random Christmas themed sock.

“Yes, I did and it looks very cute, little monster.” Harry tells him as he cuts up Rory’s pancakes into small bitesize pieces on a plate. “Do you know you’ve got two different socks on? Or was that a style choice?”

Rory just sighs, once again so unamused that he chooses to ignore his father’s question. “And Papa, you didn’t even give me my morning kisses.”

Louis makes a remorseful face. “Oh no darling, I’m so sorry. Come here.”

“It’s late now.” Rory sulks.

“It’s never late.”

“But it is. You forgot me.” Rory sighs again, shaking his head. “I’ll just have my pancakes and be sad and invisible over there.” Another dramatic sigh as he hops off his stool and carries his plate to the breakfast nook on the far side of the kitchen.

“Aww our poor baby, he’s sad.” Louis pouts, about to go after him when Winter starts fussing in his arms, gradually working herself up to a full-blown cry. He turns towards Harry, looking torn as to how he should divide his attention.

“I got it, Lou.” Harry reassures before Louis even says a thing. “I’ll go sit with him and shower him in loads of one-on-one attention while you take care of our other baby.”

The two of them have always been a team in everything they do, but it has especially been put to the test as of late. Balancing the needs of two kids has never required more effective teamwork skills of them. Louis and Harry are constantly tag-teaming situations, often communicating without words all while staying continuously in tune with each other, ready to jump in and pick up the slack whenever needed. They are beyond drained by the constant going and going, but so far no one has died, so at least they’ve got that going for them.

All they can do is take it one minute and one dire disaster at a time.

🗣‼️

Louis shuffles around the nursery in calculated steps as he attempts to soothe his daughter’s agitated cries. He rocks her rhythmically in his arms, continuing to talk sweetly to her in a soft voice as he has been for the last thirty minutes to no avail.

“Oh, it’s alright darling, it’s alright.” Louis pacifies, palm cupped to the back of her head as he steadily bounces her. “Shh, I know, I know…”

Even when agitated, Winter is still a very pretty baby. The sound of her cries are delicate, almost fragile sounding and it always makes Harry and Louis want to bend over backwards to do anything for her. And it doesn’t help that her sweet features are just like a doll, with the cutest button nose speckled by light freckles and grey eyes that Louis wonders will eventually darken into a blue like his own.

But she’s also a very happy baby for the most part, easily entertained and amused by silly faces and exaggerated voices. Although only two months old, Winter is constantly giving them little glimpses of her developing personality that only make Louis and Harry fall more in love with her.

Harry pokes his head in the nursery to check on him, coming back from the kitchen with Rory.

“How is he?” Louis asks him over the cries.

“He’s all good now. He ate his food, made a mess, and then he was on to the next thing as usual.” Harry answers, walking into the room. “How’s she?”

“She’s very fussy. She’s been fussy all morning and I’ve done literally everything I can think of.” Louis continues swaying her, easing Winter up higher to his chest. “I changed her, I feed her, I burped her, I talked to her, I rocked her…but still fussy.” 

Harry crosses the expanse nursery and holds out his arms to relieve Louis and take the screaming baby.

“Aww, Wiiiinniiie the pooooh.” Harry coos softly as he cradles Winter in his arms. It’s become Harry’s absolute favorite nickname for their infant daughter, and he was very tickled with himself when he first came up with it. Louis thinks it might actually be appropriate considering how often she shits her diapers. “What’s wrong, my sweet little baby girl.”

It only takes a few seconds of Harry cooing and fonding over her for Winter to become the epitome of peace and tranquility, completely content in her father’s arms. And it’s almost unreal how quick the change in affect is, like night and day, leaving Louis speechless.

Harry looks up at Louis slowly as a wide, stupid grin spreads across his face.

Louis shakes his head once, already sensing what’s coming next. “Don’t.”

“Well, well, _well_...” Harry starts while his grin somehow still continues to grow. “It seems the day has finally come. Our youngest child has spoken.”

Louis continues to shake his head repeatedly, somewhat in a denial he would never admit to. “Nothing was spoken.”

“Oh, maybe not in words, but uh yeah some shit was just spoken, Lou.” 

“Please stop, Harry. I’m way too tired for this—”

“No, let me have this moment. This is my very first parent award. I am now a verified, certified, fully endorsed _favorite_.” Harry sniffles, looking down at his calm daughter in a mix of emotional glee. “All she wanted was _meeee_.”

“You’re so ridiculous. It’s not that big of a deal.” Louis objects. “You got her to stop crying. Hooray.”

“Oh, don’t be bitter now. I’ve spent four years playing second best while Rory favored you for everything and now, I’m _winning_. Winning with Winnie! Aww, it’s perfect!” Harry gushes as lifts Winter up in his arms in celebration. She smiles an adorably toothless baby smile as she giggles happily back at him. She’s recently developed the cutest little giggle sound that she’ll do when they rub her tummy or lift her up in the air and Harry and Louis have become absolutely obsessed with it.

“Winning with Winnie…” Louis grumbles through a huff, crossing his arms.

“I have an announcement.” Harry’s got the biggest, most ridiculous shit eating grin on his face and Louis’ can’t stand it.

“Shut up.”

“I’m Winter’s _favorite_!” Harry cheers, victorious.

“Shut the fuck up.” Louis repeats with more annoyed passion this time.

“Suck my ass, Louis.” Harry sticks his tongue out playfully.

“Please don’t speak that way in front of our child. She’s very impressionable.” 

“Um…interesting how you say that now after you just told me to shut the fuck up.” Harry smirks knowingly. “Anyway, she’s an infant, she’s not gonna go around repeating what we say, so again I say, you can suck my whole ass.”

“This is the absolute worst thing that could have possibly happened to this family.” Louis says dramatically as he throws his head back, fully realizing how long his husband will drag this out for.

Harry looks down at Winter again, making cute faces at her. “Poohbear, tell Papa that you love him so much, but he just doesn’t understand you like I do.” 

“But I _do_ understand her!” Louis defends with a pout, feeling very butthurt about this.

“Aww Lou, baby.” Harry coddles, reaching out to his husband comfortingly. And Louis can’t quite tell if he’s being genuine or simply mocking him. Probably the latter. “Are you upset?”

Louis just continues to pout with a dejected, bitter look on his face. “Don’t touch me.”

“It’s ok, we all have favorites. You like mint chocolate chip ice cream and I like chocolate chip cookie dough…I’m Winnie’s favorite parent and you’re not and that’s ok, it’s natural...normal even. Favorites are normal.” Harry smiles knowingly.

“You are really going to stand there and rub this in my face by comparing me to ice cream.”

“Go cry about it to Rory.” Harry teases further, enjoying this way more than he should. “I’m sure he’ll give you a cuddle.”

Louis glares at his husband for several drawn out seconds before huffing, spinning on his heel to promptly leave the nursery.

“Oh wait, Louis.”

Louis stops short at the door. “What?”

“You’ve got a little…” Harry gestures vaguely to Louis’ shoulder where low and behold there lies a nice drying stain of spit up. “…Right there…”

“Oh, fuck you, Harry.” Louis billows as he leaves the room. And it’s only seconds later when Harry can hear his husband longingly call, “Rooorry!”

And it all just makes Harry cackle with laughter.

🗣‼️

Although they didn’t have much planned for their Saturday afternoon, Rory monopolizes on every available moment he can by choosing to announce any and everything he possibly can. From his oscillating feelings to his extremely busy agenda to whatever random idea is floating through his head. Absolutely nothing is too insignificant to pass him by without an official announcement.

Soon it feels like each minute is an announcement and Harry and Louis have run out of reasonable responses made up of more than two or three words. And it definitely is starting to make them feel like broken records on an endless loop of the same dialogue.

“Papa, I got a ‘nouncement.”

“Yes, Rory.”

“I don’t like red anymore. Only pink.”

“Ok, Rory.

“Papa, I got another ‘nouncement.” 

“Ok, Rory.”

“I think I do like red again.”

“Ok, Rory.”

“Daddy, I got a ‘nouncement.”

“Yes, Rory.”

“I gotta go wee.”

“Ok, Rory.”

The kid is gone and back in a flash, but the merciless cycle continues at the expense of everyone but Rory. “Ok, I’m back and I got a ‘nouncement.” 

“Yes, Rory.”

“I didn’t make a mess and I washed my hands.”

“Very good. Thank you, love”.

“Daddy, I got a ‘nouncement.”

“Yes, Rory.”

“I’m gonna go color now.”

“Ok, Rory.”

Only ten minutes pass before Rory is no longer interested in his coloring books and instead follows Harry into the bathroom. “Daddy, I got a ‘nouncement.”

Although Harry would love to say, ‘ _can it fucking wait a minute while I take a shit?’_ , he instead answers, “Yes Rory?”

“I’m tired.”

“Alright babe, let’s get you down for a nap.”

Rory’s nap may have given then a temporary break from the eternal loop of announcements, but it only takes 45 minutes for the kid to wake up fully recharged and right back on his bullshit.

“Papa, I got a ‘nouncement.”

Louis twitches as he holds back a sigh, or maybe a scream. “Yes, Rory?”

“I’m hungry.”

“Ok, Rory. Dinner is almost ready.”

On and on and on it goes, one announcement after the other like a merry-go-round of useless public decrees. Rory constant seeks acknowledgement for his every move and thought while sparing his parents absolutely nothing. But one particular announcement actually makes Harry do a double take and listen.

“I got a ‘nouncement.” Rory states boldly for the 302nd time today. “Winter has been bad.”

Harry frowns in bewilderment at that as he is currently holding the baby in question. “What do mean, honey?”

“Come here.” Rory beckons him in urgency, waving his hands.

“Come where?”

“Here!”

Harry balances Winter as he stands up and blindly follows Rory through the halls of their house.

“Look what she did, Daddy. Look.” Rory points to the mural of colorful drawings and lines coating the wall in what looks to be marker.

It’s such a great thing that Louis, being the wonderful interior designer that he is, elected to repaint all the walls of their house with graffiti resistant paint, because their rambunctious son is dead set on constantly decorating their walls with his imaginative doodles. Now it’s more of nuisance to have to clean than an actual disaster.

Nonetheless, Harry sighs when he sees the unwarranted artwork embellishing the wall between the laundry room and the guest bathroom. “Rory, what have we told you about writing on the walls?”

“I didn’t do it, Daddy. I know better, I’m the good one.” Rory replies sweetly as if he is oh so innocent. “She did it.”

For one thing, Winter has been asleep for most of the day, as most babies are. And even if she wasn’t asleep or being held by one of her parents, she’s literally two months old and physically incapable of the dexterity required to grasp a writing utensil _and_ stand up long enough to color on the walls. This is common sense to an adult, obviously, but in Rory’s young _vibrant_ mind, it is the perfect way to flawlessly frame his baby sister for an utterly impossible crime.

“Forrest, your sister is two months old, I highly doubt she—”

“She _did_! I saw it!” Rory insists with absolutely no shame or any sense of conscience.

“Ooh, you saw it, did you?” Harry questions a bit, just for the fun of it.

“Yes. Yes I did.” Rory boldly claims. He then looks up at his sister poised in Harry’s arms. “Winnie, didn’t you do it? She says yes.”

“She didn’t say anything. She can’t say anything. She’s two months old.” Harry answers flatly.

“You just can’t understand her cuz you’re old! Only I can.” Rory boasts.

Harry blinks offendedly at the accusation that he’s old. He should be used to it by now because in the eyes of a child, any adult is old. But still, it’s not the most pleasant thing to hear all the time.

“Ok, so now that we know she was bad, can you get rid of her?” Rory asks next as if it’s such a natural progression. The clear next step in this situation.

“Are you asking me to somehow make your baby sister disappear?” Harry questions in disbelief.

“Just for a little.” Rory says seriously. “Or forever…that’s ok too.”

It seems the novelty of having a baby sister has now run its course and Rory has decided that he has gotten quite bored of the entire idea. When Winter first arrived, Rory was absolutely obsessed with her, wanting to be around her all the time. He would follow his parents around as they took turns feeding and changing her, he would sit in the nursery and talk with her, he would even offer to help care for her in any small way that he could. But it seems the four-year-old has effectively moved on.

“Rory, no.”

“I love her but…” Rory shrugs innocently. “She’s not been good Daddy, so we gotta do something. She’s gotta go.”

“Rory, what if we got rid of you when you’ve not been good?”

“Then you’d be sad, cuz you need me.”

“That’s very true.” Harry agrees. “But you’d be sad too because you also need me.”

“Yes. So I can’t leave.” Rory goes right back to his original point.

“Ok, and neither can Winter.”

“No, it’s not the same.” Rory argues, not seeming to see any correlation between the two concepts.

“Why not?”

“Cuz I said it’s not. So it’s not.”

“Rory… _no_.” Harry repeats for the second time in a two-minute span, this time more exasperated and perplexed.

“I got a ‘nouncement.” Rory says suddenly. 

“Again?”

“I don’t want Winter here anymore.”

“Rory, she’s not leaving.” Harry tells him obviously.

“Why?”

“Because she’s part of this family.”

Rory thinks on this for only a mere second before starting up again. “But why?”

Harry pauses, lacking the understanding as well as the strength. “What do you mean why?”

“I mean _why.”_ Rory repeats with widened eyes, hands on his hips as he looks up at Harry expectantly.

Harry sighs, trying to think of some way to put the obvious into simple terms, but also terms that aren’t too simple because that would just land him with another innocent, ‘ _why_ ’. “Ok listen, honey. You and Winter are both my children and I love you both very much. You’ve been around longer than Winter has, but just because she’s new, doesn’t mean she doesn’t belong in our family.”

“But…but I still just don’t get it.” Rory furrows his brows and purses his lips together in confused frustration. “Where did she come from…she just? Just…like…came here one day. And, and? And…you and Papa decided to keep her. But…why?”

Harry doesn’t even know what on earth to say next in order to make this child somehow understand. But thank god his husband makes an appearance that brings about a natural distraction from the conversation at hand.

“What happened to the wall?” Louis frowns, his gaze falling to the four-year-old for an explanation. “Rory?”

“Papa, I do not like that you are blaming me.” Rory says, offended.

“Oh, never Rory. I just want you to tell me what happened.”

“Winter did it.” Rory replies easily, again with no shame whatsoever. “I already told Daddy.”

Harry makes a face at Louis. A very familiar and well known, _please-help-me-our-son-is-talking-in-nonsense-circles-and-I-can’t-escape-it_ face.

Louis responds by crouching down to Rory’s level to talk to him. “What do you mean Winter did it?”

“I mean _she_ did it.” Rory points up at her as if it’s obvious. “She was bad, not me.”

Louis has both hands on Rory’s small shoulders, looking him in the eye. “Sweetheart, remember what we said about saying things that aren’t true?”

Rory pauses for moment, purposely avoiding eye contact with Louis before nodding his head slowly. “It’s not very good…”

“Right, it’s not very good at all.” Louis nods gently. “And I know that you’re a really good boy, so I’m going to ask you again. Can you tell me what happened to the wall, Rory?”

“Fine!” Rory folds as he always seems to do whenever Louis talks to him, it awes Harry every single time. Without accusation, he somehow coaxes the truth right out of their son, when no one else seems to be able to. “It was me—I’m sorry, Papa…but, but…I just—Winter’s gotta leave!”

“What?”

“Papa, she doesn’t belong here! I tried to let her stay but no. She’s gotta go.” Rory repeats again, crossing both arms over his small chest.

“And where exactly would you suggest that she go, Rory?” Louis questions curiously.

“Out of my house.” Rory states simply, with his chin raised defiantly.

“Forrest, that’s not nice.” Louis admonishes, shaking his head.

“I don’t care.” Rory continues in his defiant stance.

“But you love your sister.”

“Well yes I do, but…” He pauses, exhaling heavily to himself as he thinks. “I got a ‘noucmnent. I wanna be just me again.”

“What do you mean?”

“No more Winter! Send her _away_!” Rory stomps his little feet.

“Baby, we can’t send family members away. It’s just not an option.” Louis explains to him firmly, but also gently. “What if Daddy woke up one day and said ‘I’m gonna send Papa away today’.”

“But he can’t send you away.” Rory scowls at that, madly shaking his curls.

“Why not?” Louis asks seriously.

“Cuz…cuz…I love you and…you belong here…you’re my family…”

“Right.” Louis nods. “And that’s why I can’t send Daddy away either. Or you. Or Winter.”

“Cuz we’re a family?”

“Yeah, exactly, we’re a family.” Louis affirms. “We all belong here, and we all love each other.”

Rory stays quiet for a moment and it seems the gears are finally shifting around in place in his head. “Ok.”

“Ok.” Louis repeats, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “But Rory, we know that writing on the walls is a no-no, so you’re going to help me clean this up before bedtime, ok?”

His face contorts and he is clearly about to start huffing and puffing and complaining about the prospect of cleaning up his mess, but Louis gives him a single targeted look that causes him to fix his face.

“Ok, Papa.” Rory agrees amicably, not daring to challenge him this time around.

🗣‼️

By some miracle or twist of fate, there was no additional crisis to avert, no tears to console, no accidents, or mishaps or calamities and somehow both of their children are down for bed and it’s only 9:30. Do they realize this is temporary and probably won’t last past a few hours? Yes. Are they still going to pretend as if they’re about to enjoy a full night’s rest? Also, yes.

“Hey Lou?”

“Yeah, love.”

Harry grins knowingly, wiggling his eyebrows. “I have an announcement.” 

Louis smirks as he turns to face Harry. “The floor is all yours baby, tell me.”

“Well, I’ve just brushed my teeth and I thought you should know.”

Louis can’t help but laugh. “Darling, so um…I have quite an important announcement as well.”

“Oh, baby please, by all means.” Harry gestures dramatically for Louis to continue.

“When I took my shower, I decided to try a different scented body wash than usual. I just wanted you to know that so...” 

Harry cackles as if it’s the funniest joke he’s heard all day and Louis joins him, the two of them falling into a fit of giggles at the expense of their son. Maybe they are going to hell for making fun of their kid, but it’s so worth it sometimes and it’s also cheaper than therapy.

“So how long do you think he’ll need to announce everything he does?” Louis questions as they make their way from their master bathroom to the bedroom.

“Um probably until he’s convinced that we’re listening to him.” Harry guesses as he begins removing the decorative throw pillows from their bed. “Which we always are, but apparently not to the higher standards in his mind.”

Louis rolls his eyes at the sheer ridiculousness of it all as he assists with the pillows. “Well, I at least hope that he’ll move on from saying that Winter needs to leave.”

“I know, seriously. But baby, you were sooo good with him today.” Harry compliments proudly, crawling across the bed to Louis standing on the edge of the other side. He kneels up on the mattress and pulls Louis towards him by his waist. “You somehow unlock his weird, complex mind and I’m so amazed by it. Bravo, babe. You’re a miracle worker.”

“Aww thanks, H.” Louis smiles down at his husband, cupping his face. “And as much as it pains me to say, you got Winnie to be the most content she’s been in days and that’s pretty incredible.”

Harry beams brightly. “Well, I am her favorite so…”

“Please don’t ruin the moment.” Louis taps his fingers against Harry’s face in warning.

“Sorry, I know it’s a sensitive topic for you still.” Harry grins teasingly.

“I have an announcement.”

“I’m all ears.”

“You haven’t kissed me enough today.”

Harry nudges closer to the edge, drawing Louis nearer by his waist. “That is a very, _very_ serious announcement.” 

“Uh huh, that’s why I just _had_ to announce it.” Louis nods cheekily, draping both arms over the tops of Harry’s shoulders as he dips down lower.

“Mhmm.” Harry hums as he closes the gap between them and kisses his husband. 

Louis presses against him as Harry pulls him down towards the bed, moving backwards.

“Ow!” Harry grimaces suddenly at the motion.

“What’s wrong, love?” Louis worries, pulling back and cupping his cheeks.

“My back’s a bit sore.” Harry winces again, face distorting. “Probably from falling asleep on that wooden chair in the kitchen last night.”

“Aww baby, you really can’t keep doing that.” Louis tells him as he has told him time and time again. “Lay down, I’ll massage it for you.”

Harry strips out of his hoodie and lays down across the bed on his bare stomach. Louis climbs on top of him, straddling Harry’s hips with his thighs as he sits back on his bum.

“My second favorite seat on earth.” Louis jokes as he wiggles himself around to get comfortable on top of his husband’s ass.

“Second?” Harry scuffs mildly.

“Well yeah babe, I quite like sitting on the front side of you more, of course.”

Harry barks out a laugh against the pillows. “You’re such an idiot.”

“Takes one to know one, I suppose.” Louis leans over and grabs the bottle of lotion from the bedside drawer. He lathers up Harry’s back and begins to work the many kinks out of his back muscles, something he’s done countless times in their marriage. Harry has always had a wonky back that’s easily aggravated by the slightest postural misstep.

“You’re really wound up tight, Haz.” Louis comments, working on a particularly taut knot at the base of Harry’s spine.

“God, _yes—_ right there.” Harry sighs contently.

“There?” Louis massages both of his thumbs deep in the center of his back, pressing down into the tense muscle.

Harry only lets out a low moan from the back of his throat as a response, telling Louis all he needs to know.

“Geez baby, if I didn’t know you better, I’d think you just came from a back massage.”

“Maybe I did. You’ve got such magical hands, Lou.” Harry murmurs slowly against the pillow, speech patterns mellowing out even more. “Plus, my back isn’t the only place I’m wound up tight.”

Louis raises an eyebrow. “Is that right?”

“You do realize that we haven’t had any kind of sex since before Winter came? Probably, like, our anniversary was the last time…”

Louis pauses to think about it for a moment, trying to recall the last time he and his husband were intimate. But with such sleep deprivation, it’s hard to think past a time filled with only nappies and spit up, it’s all foggy like a distant memory. “That’s not true? No…wait? Is it? No…”

“It is babe, it really is.” Harry sighs which quickly morphs into a heavy yawn. “Quite sad honestly. Maybe even more sad that you haven’t even noticed.”

“I think it may have more to do with the exhaustion than anything else.” Louis continues kneading the knots out of Harry’s spine while he thinks further on the subject. “But that’s still not a good enough excuse. I’m sorry, baby. We should make time for each other more often. It’s just been so hard with adjusting to everything—and it seems like if we aren’t caring for our kids then we’re trying to get a few hours of sleep… but…honestly love, if you’re up for it we could have a go right now, yeah? It’s still pretty early and if we’re quick enough, we should get away with it before either one of our kids get up for no reason. What do you think, Harry?”

Louis is met with radio silence.

“H?” Louis calls again, leaning down by his head to find his husband’s eyes still closed. He kisses Harry’s temple and trails down behind his ear, dropping a few more soft kisses. “Harry, love?”

Harry is all the way passed out, confirmed by the slight snore that comes out of him next. Louis can’t quite blame him. As he said, sleep is a hot commodity as a parent to two young kids and when they’re coming off of a series of nights with only 1-2 hours of sleep, it’s beyond easy to nod off at the drop of a hat whenever they’re not actively in motion.

Louis climbs off of his husband only to curl up next to him in bed. He pulls the covers over both of their bodies before drawing Harry fully into his arms, spooning his back as he prepares for the next two minutes of sleep they’re going to have before one of their kids inevitably forces them to get up.

🗣‼️

Louis wakes up early the next morning to an extra body in their bed. He finds Rory squeezed between him and Harry, cuddled to his chest, holding his favorite teddy that he brought along with him.

“Well it seems I’ve got a Rory in my bed.” Louis whispers fondly as he hugs the little boy closer.

Rory just hides his face and giggles, dimpled and cute and so very sweet. He burrows himself against Louis’ middle, snuggled as close as humanly possible.

“When did you get here, love?”

“I don’t remember.” Rory whispers back, eyes innocently wide as he draws imaginary patterns to Louis’ chest with his small fingers.

“Of course you don’t, silly boy.” Louis grins. He’s always making up some reason to join his parents in their bed, especially ever since Winter came along. Rory makes his way into their bedroom at all hours of the night and it’s definitely one of the contributing reasons as to why their sex life has been completely nonexistent as of late.

“I just missed you…so here I am.”

Louis can think of far worse ways to be woken up than being affectionately cuddled by his son. “Here you are.”

“Papa, will you pet my hair?” Rory requests sweetly.

“Of course, darling.” Louis agrees easily.

Rory’s eyes easily fall closed and his whole face goes soft and blissed out while Louis’ fingers gently graze his scalp. It’s eerily the exact same face Harry makes when Louis plays with his hair. They’re both just like overgrown cats in Louis’ opinion.

Rory is slowly but surely being lulled back to sleep when Winter starts to cry. Her sobs waft through the upstairs hallway, disturbing the previous early morning silence. From the sound of this particular cry, Louis can tell that his daughter is in dire need of a diaper change.

“No, Papa don’t leave me.” Rory begs before Louis has even made so much as a sound. He holds onto him with his tiny arms wrapped around Louis’ neck.

“Sweetheart, I’ve got to check on your sister.”

“Let Daddy do it.”

“Daddy is still asleep.”

“So?” Rory broods. “It’s my time with you. She can wait.”

“Rory.” Louis sighs, rubbing his small back.

“I got a ‘nouncement.”

“Oh, we are still doing announcements today?” Louis asks; he had silently wished that was going to end after yesterday.

“Yes.” He nods seriously, as evidenced by the very serious, no nonsense furrow to his brow. “My ‘noucement is I don’t want you to pick Winnie instead of me.”

“Baby, I’m not picking Winnie instead of you. I love you and I love Winnie too. But your sister is still a baby and she can’t take care of herself, so she needs me. Does that make sense?”

“No.” Rory’s scowl doesn’t at all leave his face. “Cuz why can’t she need Daddy instead?”

“Daddy is resting, we don’t need to wake him up.” Louis tries to explain again.

“No…it’s alright…I got it...” Harry murmurs sleepily as he begins to slink out of bed. Louis hadn’t even known he was awake, but since they are both on an anarchic two kid sleep schedule, it’s not all that surprising that he easily woke up.

“Are you sure, H? You don’t have to get up.”

“Mhmm. I’ve got it, don’t worry about it, Lou.” Harry yawns before gently kissing Louis’ forehead, dipping down again to kiss Rory’s as well before shuffling out of their bedroom towards the nursery.

“See.” Rory says with a proud lilt to his grin. “Now you can stay with me.”

“Oh Rory…” Louis shakes his head. “What am I going to do with you, my silly, curly boy.”

🗣‼️

It’s just about lunchtime and Louis has not sat down once since he got out of bed. Isn’t it wonderful how Louis can spend all morning picking up after Rory and then turn around to discover that he’s somehow been making more of a mess somewhere else in the house the whole time? How is it possible that he can wreak havoc everywhere at once?

Louis picked up the many pieces of an entire a train set splayed out across the expanse of the living room only to find a gang of stuffed animals blocking the main hallway which then led him to a trail of Doc McStuffins stickers lovingly plastered to the mirror in the bathroom nearest Rory’s room. Not to mention the multiple pools of milk and assailant bits of cereal and toast splattered all over the kitchen from breakfast.

All in a morning’s work for Rory.

Louis peeks into the nursery and finds Rory leaning against the bars of Winter’s crib, whispering softly to her while Harry lies half asleep, practically sliding out of the rocking chair he’s awkwardly draped in.

Louis can’t quite hear whatever it is that Rory is saying, but it’s nice to see him interacting with her again in a positive way.

“Hanging out with your sister, Rory?” Louis asks him as he makes his way into the room.

Rory turns around, fingers still gripping the bars. “I’m telling Winnie how it is.”

“How what is?”

“Life.” Rory answers simply.

“And what are you saying to her?”

“That I’m the boss and she’s gotta stop.”

“Stop what?” Louis frowns in mild confusion.

“Stop everything.” Rory replies as though it’s obvious.

Well, that’s definitely not the interaction Louis had hoped for at all, it appears they have made no progress since yesterday. “Are you bullying your sister?”

“No.” Rory denies in that same innocent voice of his. “I’m telling her things. I told you.”

“Things like what?” Louis probes, growing slightly more concerned. “Tell me the things, Rory.”

“Things like… if…if she’s gonna stay…she’s gotta stop being so selfish.” Rory answers, a mean scowl developing on his features.

“Selfish?”

“Yes, Papa! I’m tired of her. I’m _tired_.” Rory huffs dramatically and Louis can tell that he’s about to go on a babbling, blubbering frustration fueled rant from the way he twists up his face. “I know she’s my family…and she’s…she’s gotta stay here—but…but she! She cries all day! And—and then…and then you run to help her—but! But if…if I cry…it’s just stop it, Rory!”

“What?” Louis gently pushes his messy curls from his face. “Baby, I’ve never told you to stop it.”

“Yeah huh…” Rory nods up at him repeatedly, sulking. “And…and she’s making my life boring, Papa! Very, very boring! We don’t…um…we don’t even do fun things anymore…cuz…cuz you and Daddy say you’re too tired all the time.”

Louis can’t rightfully deny that part, it’s pretty accurate. “Well, how about we fix that? Do you want to go out today? We can go get lunch together.”

Rory’s demeanor picks up instantly at that, eyes completely lighting up at the idea. He claps his little hands with a dimpled smile, as bright as can be. It really doesn’t take much to appease him. “Yaaay!”

“Yay!” Louis echoes, cheering along with his son. Rory has got such an infectious smile, his enthusiasm about the simplest things never fails to make Louis smile. “Ok, I’ll ask Daddy about it.”

Louis approaches his sleeping husband in the far corner of the room. His position doesn’t look anywhere near comfortable, with one leg hooked over the side of the rocking chair, the opposite arm dangling down to the floor, while his head is completely thrown back to the side with his jaw hanging open. It’s no wonder why his back is always hurting him.

“Harry?”

“Huh—what?” Harry startles awake with wide panicked eyes at the call of his name, scrambling up and looking around as if there’s some kind of crisis in his midst. “What happened?”

“Nothing happened, love. Everything is fine.” Louis assures, running a hand through Harry’s hair. “I just wanted to know how you’d feel about going out for lunch today. The four of us.”

“Oh…” Harry relaxes back into the rocking chair as he yawns, stretching his arms up.

“Please say yes, Daddy!” Rory jumps up and excitedly attacks Harry’s lap, accidentally kneeing him right in the balls.

“Fu— _nnn_.” Harry catches himself from nearly cursing, biting down hard on his lower lip as he weakly fights through the painful sensation. “Fun. Rory. That sounds…so _fun_ …”

🗣‼️

Rory was right, The Tomlinson-Styles clan have not gone on a family outing as a complete set in quite a while. Either Louis or Harry will periodically take Rory to get out of the house and hangout, but they have yet to all venture out at the same time. It wasn’t exactly a conscious decision; they’re just going through an adjustment period and taking on new challenges like public outings is a lot to commit to with two kids.

And without routine outings, Rory seems to have completely forgotten how to behave and sit still in a restaurant. They’re sat down in a booth, with Harry and Rory on one side and Louis with Winter in her baby carrier on the other side. Rory is boxed in between the wall and Harry so that he can’t just get up and run around as he pleases at any time during the meal, but that isn’t stopping Rory from finding other ways to be active.

They’ve been at the restaurant for all of five minutes and Rory is already standing up in the booth dancing around to a song in his head.

“Rory.” Harry calls.

“What?” Rory says not even bothering to turn around.

“Not what. Yes.” Louis corrects. “Please sit down.” 

Instead of sitting down, Rory continues rolling around against the cushions of the booth, wiggling around as he hums a made-up tune to himself, paying his parents no mind. He catches the attention of an older couple sitting in the booth behind them. When they notice him, they give him a wave and he beams as he waves back excitedly, loving the attention of course.

Harry reaches up to physically guide the four-year-old into a sitting position next to him. “Rory, keep your silly bum sat down properly please.”

Rory huffs to himself as he clumsily drops down against the cushion of the booth. “Daddy, I wanna dance and make friends. Why is that wrong?”

“It’s not wrong to dance and make friends, it just isn’t right to do while standing on a chair made for sitting in the restaurant.”

“But it makes me happy.” Rory defends, crossing his arms as he frowns up at his dad. “Why don’t you want me to be happy?”

“It’s all I want for you, honey.” Harry promises as he picks up one of the menus.

“Then let me dance.” Rory sulks, bottom lip jutted out as he continues looking up at Harry.

“Hey Ro, darling, aren’t you hungry?” Louis attempts to gently shift his son’s attention from his new obsession with booth dancing. “What do you want to eat?”

Rory shrugs, picking up one of the blue crayons that the waitress left behind. “Uhh umm…can I…can I have a think about it please?”

“Of course, love.”

Maybe his process for thinking is different than everyone else’s because Rory proceeds to stick the blue crayon up his nose, then a red crayon up the other nostril. He follows that up with a yellow crayon to his left ear and a green too his right and he’s just about to start on his mouth when Louis intervenes.

“Ok, I think we’ve had enough of the crayons, Rory.” Louis reaches across the table to safely remove them from his kid’s nose and ears.

Rory makes an unamused face at having his entertainment yet again stripped away. “I got a ‘nouncement.” 

“Yes, is it what you want?” Harry asks, glancing from the menu in his hands to Rory.

“No.” Rory answers as he tugs his mouth into random shapes with his fingers.

“Ok, what is it, Rory? What?” 

“My ‘nouncement is…I ‘unno wha I wan...” Rory reveals with his mouth pulled wide, making his words sound almost like gibberish.

“Oh my god.” Harry sighs, closing his own menu and setting it down. “Take your hands out of your mouth, Rory.”

Rory puffs out his cheeks. “Why?”

“Because your hands are dirty.”

“Nu uh, Daddy. You’re wrong. I washed them today.” Rory explains in his usual know-it-all style.

Harry resigns with a deep and heavy sigh, clearly not in the right headspace to debate the frequency of handwashing with a four-year-old.

“How about chicken nuggets then.” Louis interjects again, redirecting. “You always like that. Right, Ro?

“No.” Rory shakes his curls. “I don’t want it. I dunno what I want.”

“Rory, we are about to order. If you don’t pick something yourself, I’m going to pick it for you.” Harry says.

“Aruggh!” Rory huffs unintelligibly, crossing his arms over his chest again.

“Rory—”

“No, Daddy!” Rory screams suddenly in what appears to be anger.

“Why are you yelling?” Louis asks the four-year-old calmly.

“Cuz I hate it!” Rory yells, kicking his feet as he begins to cause a scene for no tangible reason. “You’re not letting me be happy!”

“Forrest, please lower your voice. Remember we use inside voices when we’re inside, ok.”

“Nooooo! I don’t wanna!”

“Papa and I were really excited about going out and spending time together as a family. Why are you acting like this?”

“Cuz you’re being mean to me!” Rory continues screaming his head off. “You don’t love me like before!”

“What is happening…” Harry asks Louis across the table in confusion as Rory continues throwing a fit. “One minute we are trying to order, the next we’re being accused of not loving him? Am I missing something?”

Louis sighs heavily, shaking his head. “Darling, if I knew…I would tell you.”

They become temporarily preoccupied as Winter begins to also scream from her carrier, unhappy to be woken up, completely unaware of her surroundings. Louis tries to soothe her as Harry digs around in the diaper bag for her favorite pacifier that is tragically missing in action. However, Harry can’t seem to find it, and Louis can’t seem to settle Winter’s cries without it, so they decide to swap duties. Louis passes a wailing Winter across the table to Harry, while he tries his hand at digging through the diaper bag that seems to be overly prepared for any situation except for this very one.

The chaotic distraction gives Rory the perfect opportunity to slide down under the table and crawl to freedom. He not only leaves the table, but he goes over to the older couple he waved at earlier and climbs into their booth next to them like he belongs there.

Louis first notices their son’s absence, looking up from the diaper bag to scan the surrounding area for any signs of a mop of curly hair bouncing around. “Where is—”

“Hiii, I’m Rory! Will you be my new family?”

“What is he _doing!?”_ Harry gasps in horror, practically seizing up with mortification while Louis frantically scrambles out of their booth towards the adjacent table to capture their mischievous son.

The woman at the table looks endeared as she sweetly smiles down at the rascal of a child disturbing her meal. “Well hello Rory, it’s quite lovely to meet you…but I think you’ve already got a family, dear.”

Rory disagrees, shaking his head. “Not really. I wanna be in your family now.”

“I am _so_ sorry.” Louis apologizes to the couple in genuine embarrassment as he attempts to wrangle Rory into his arms.

But Rory fights him tooth and nail in typical four-year-old fashion, clinging to the table, causing it to shake and subsequently spill water glasses all over the surface. “No, Papa! Nooo! I gotta find a new family that loves me!”

“Alright Forrest, that’s enough of a show for today.” Louis finally manages to scope Rory up, however he continues to struggle, not going down without a fight.

Harry is at Louis’ side now, balancing a very agitated, screaming baby in his arms as he looks at the mess his son made in disbelief. “We are so sorry—oh my _god_ , what a mess—I’m really sorry…seriously—let us cover your bill or something, I just—”

“Oh nonsense.” The woman stops Harry’s rambling, with a compassionate smile. “We’ve raised quite a few little ones ourselves. I remember what it’s like to be a young parent. Don’t worry about it.”

That doesn’t at all make Harry feel any better about the situation, in fact he only feels worse as they continue to draw the eyes of the entire restaurant with their loud as fuck kids. “No, I insist really—I feel so awful about it.”

Rory continues squirming and acting a fool as Louis tries desperately hard to placate him. But he is soon realizing that there is no reasoning with Rory in his emotional state. They’ll have to figure out what is going on with him once they get home.

“Takeout.” Louis says to Harry, arms full. “I think we should do takeout and go home. Now.”

This is exactly why they haven’t been properly out together in ages. This was _clearly_ a mistake. It seems kids and public activities just don’t mix.

Harry can’t seem to agree more, wildly nodding his head. “Yeah, go. I’ll handle it in here—I got it.”

Louis nods back, already strategizing the best way to vacate the restaurant without Rory’s impossibly restless legs kicking some poor patron in the head on his way out. “So I’ll meet you back at the car, yeah.”

Harry eyes scream out a silent message of _good luck_ as he looks to Louis and Louis returns the gesture with his own look of _you too_ and maybe that really is what marriage is.

  
  


🗣‼️

By the time they get home, Rory has effectively tired himself out, making it easy for Harry and Louis to get him settled in his bed for a much-needed nap time. In fact, they all need a good nap after that embarrassing failure of an outing. The best strategy in parenting is to sleep when the kids sleep, so it’s almost too easy to avoid talking all together and instead collapse onto the couch and try to decompress from the high amounts of stress radiating in their bloodstreams.

Harry reclines back against the cushions with Winter settled and sleeping in a tiny ball curled up to his chest. Louis cuddles to Harry’s side, using his shoulder as a makeshift pillow as he easily falls asleep.

It’s only an hour later when Rory appears shuffling into the living room with his Toy Story themed blanked draped over his head, fresh from his nap. He comes to stand directly in front of them on the couch, holding his blanket around his body. 

“Hi, honey.” Harry smiles at him.

“Hi…” Rory murmurs back quietly as he rubs at his eyes with one of his blanketed hands. It’s all very cute, Rory is always the softest when he first wakes up. A stark contrast to the raging demon he was just hours ago.

“Did you have a good nap?”

“Maybe.” Rory answers slowly in thought.

“Ok…” Harry nods.

“I…I dunno if it was good until I’m really awake.”

“Ok…” Harry repeats, just as confused as before, but when is he not confused when it comes to the things that come out of his son’s mouth.

Rory rubs his face some more and then frowns slightly. “Where can I sit?”

“Right here, babe.” A freshly awakened Louis mumbles, patting the couch cushion next to him.

Rory immediately shakes his head. “No.”

Louis sits slowly up as he yawns. “Why not, love?”

“Cuz I wanna sit _there_.” He points to Harry’s lap, even though Harry still has Winter cradled to his chest.

“Rory, I just got your sister to fall asleep.” 

Rory doesn’t seem to see a problem. “So?”

“So you can’t sit on my lap.” Harry explains. “But you can sit on Papa’s lap.”

“No. I want yours. I want you to hold me.” Rory demands, which is quite interesting because it’s usually the other way around. He normally throws a fit if he can’t be in the same vicinity as Louis.

“Ro, come here come have a cuddle with me, love.” Louis offers again, holding his arms out.

“No! Daddy, you _promised!”_

“Honey—”

“You promised you’d still be my Daddy too! And…and now you’re _lying_!” He’s starting to cry, the calmness of his nap quickly fading away.

“Ok, ok—fine.” Harry gives in, deciding that it’s an easier solution than waiting for Rory to fully erupt into another tearful tantrum. He carefully lifts the baby up, trying not to disturb her as he gently places her back down on Louis’ chest. They both pause for a moment to make sure she’s still settled and sleeping before Harry turns to offer his lap to Rory.

Harry holds open his arms for him. “Ok come here, Ro.”

Rory beams, happily crawling onto Harry’s lap to get cozy with his body still fully wrapped up in his blanket.

Harry kisses the top of Rory’s head, holding him close. “Better?”

Rory nods contently, face nuzzled to Harry’s chest. And that contentedness lasts all of two minutes before Rory stirs, glancing over at Louis and Winter with a deep, newly unsatisfied scowl etched on his features.

“I got a ‘nouncement.” Rory starts up again only moments later. “I wanna sit on Papa’s lap now.”

“What?” Harry looks down at him in question. “You just got here, Rory.”

Rory sits up fully as he tries to wiggle free from Harry’s arms. “I changed my mind! I want Papa!” 

“Rory—” 

“Papa! I want you to hold me! I miss you!” Rory desperately reaches for him as if he’s suddenly dying.

“You miss me?” Louis tilts his head at his overdramatic son. “Baby, I’m right here.”

“It’s not enough!” Rory pouts, hanging half upside down in Harry’s hold as he continues lunging for Louis.

“Here, how about you hold my hand.” Louis offers, linking his fingers with Rory’s outstretched hand.

“No! It’s not the same! Hold me, Papa! Please! _Please_! You’re _my_ Papa and I need you!”

“You just want whoever is holding your sister.” Harry points out.

“So?” Rory rights himself only to angrily narrow his eyes at Harry.

“So, Rory, we can’t keep switching back and forth.” Harry replies calmly. “For now, you can sit on my lap or you can sit next to Papa, ok?”

That is definitely not what Rory wanted to hear because the tears began to make a reappearance as Rory transitions right into the dreaded tantrum. “I don’t like it! I don’t like that I can’t have both! You were my Daddy and my Papa first!”

“Sweetheart, I know you’re upset but—”

“I’m not upset!” 

“Ok then tell us what wrong, honey please.” Harry encourages, attempting to diffuse the bomb about to detonate. “Let’s talk about it. Just use your words.”

“I got a ‘nouncement.” Rory tempers. “I’m not upset, I’m _mad_!”

“Why are you mad, Rory?”

“Cuz everything is wrong!”

“Like what, love?” Louis asks softly. “Tell us.”

“Like, like…” Rory is getting all worked up, hardly able to speak through all his frustration. “Like…I don’t feel the…the same. You don’t…you don’t love me the same!”

“Baby, of course we do.” Louis promises genuinely.

“We love you so, so much, Ro.”

“No! No! _No_!” Rory yells, not hearing or believing a single word that his parents are saying.

It’s a very similar scene to the one that unfolded at the restaurant just hours earlier. Once again Rory’s escalating tantrum easily wakes up Winter, who soon fills the living room with her own cries. And of course, consequently her cries deviate the attention from solely Rory, which only makes him more frustrated. 

“You’ll never love me the same cuz it’ll never be just me again!” Rory throws himself down on the floor, screaming and sobbing. This is clearly a crisis for him, another phase of adjustment that he just can’t seem to properly handle.

“Ooh Winnie…” Louis stands up with the crying baby in an attempt to find the diaper bag that they haphazardly tossed once they got home. “H, do you know where her favorite pacifier went? The one with the monkey on it? Did we leave it at the restaurant?”

“We never even had it there—remember, we couldn’t find it in the bag.” Harry gets up to help him look for it as the noise level gets so loud, it’s hard to even hear each other over the sound of children wailing. “I don’t think I’ve seen it since maybe yesterday?”

“Maybe, it’s somewhere in the nur—”

“Aaahh!” Rory screams deafeningly, still raging from his splayed out position on the living room floor. Anyone who couldn’t see him would think that he is in physical pain with how boisterous his emotional outburst is. He’s got angry tears streaming down his face and his eyes are all red and aggravated, while his curls are sticking and standing up all over his head. “What a-about _me_!”

With both of their kids screaming, it instantly becomes another one of those divide and conquer moments for Harry and Louis and it only takes one shared look for both of them to understand the game plan.

“Ok, come here RoRo.” Harry picks the four-year-old up and tightly hugs his arms around him, rubbing his back in reassuring circles to begin calming him down. It seems to be working as Rory rests his down head on Harry’s shoulder, heavy sobs slowly turning into congested hiccups as he holds onto his dad. That’s it, you’re ok, honey.”

“But…b-but…P-Papa...” Rory sniffles, still teary eyed as he lifts his head to search out Louis, needing the attention of both of his parents to truly be content.

“Ro, baby, I’ll be right back, ok?” Louis promises, over the sound of Winter’s cries, already halfway up the stairs.

“Nooo! I need you _now_!”

“Just five minutes darling, I promise. I’ll be right back.”

“Hey, it’s ok, sweetheart. You’re ok.” Harry whispers softly to him, kissing his wet cheeks as he begins walking them towards the kitchen. “How about we go get a snack? Do you want a snack, Ro? I know you do, you _love_ snacks.”

The concept of a snack does what it’s meant to and momentarily distracts Rory, while Louis hustles upstairs to deal with Winnie. He rests his head down to Harry’s shoulder again and nods quietly. Harry continues to rub his back, hoping that maybe, just maybe Rory will somehow stay pacified.

But when has that ever happened?

🗣‼️

“Oh Winter, love, please be good for Papa, please...” Louis begs as he offers her a different pacifier with a whale on it that is apparently nowhere near as good as her favorite monkey one. She spits it out and it falls to the floor, so Louis goes back to trying to soothe her by swaying her against his chest. “Just this once, Winnie please.”

Louis looked high and low for the thing, practically tearing up the nursery to find the long-lost binky all to no avail. And Winter is not at all pleased that he hasn’t found it, because nothing is a good enough substitute it seems. Louis wondered if maybe she was crying because she actually needed something like a diaper change, but nope, she’s just distressed and restless.

Harry joins him in the nursery looking absolutely defeated and overwhelmed, the events of the day clearly draining what little energy he had. “So, Rory has announced that he doesn’t want to talk to me anymore.”

“Oh wonderful.” Louis nods sarcastically.

“Indeed.” Harry nods just as cynically, dragging both hands down his face. “But the real kicker is that apparently his announcement extends to you too because you ‘picked Winter over him’.”

“Of course.” Louis sighs heavily, feeling his own wave of defeat and exhaustion. “Where is he now?”

“In his room. His last words to me before I was banished were something about needing to think alone and not to follow him.”

“Well, I’ll give him 15 minutes of space and then I’ll go talk to him.”

“Be my guest.” Harry exhales as he deflates into his favorite rocking chair. “And for the record, I am never going out in public again. Ever.”

“Oh absolutely not. Never again.” Louis agrees. He can’t even picture a scenario in which the same shit doesn’t unfold. Rory starts screaming about Winter, then Winter starts screaming and then Rory starts screaming louder because Winter is screaming and on and on it goes. It’s fucking ridiculous and far too much of an embarrassing nuisance to ever force the public to endear on their behalf. “And I also think we should never speak of it again. For sanity’s sake.”

“Agreed.” Harry nods once, rocking himself back and forth in the chair as he observes their daughter’s continued distress. “Seems you’re having a bit of trouble getting her down…”

And maybe it’s the bit of pride inside of Louis that causes him to adamantly shake his head, continuing to soothe Winter to his chest despite her sobs. “No, I’m not…we’re fine, thanks.”

Harry gives his husband a knowing look, raising an eyebrow. “I could lend a hand or…”

“No, I’ve got it, H.”

“Uh huh.” Harry smirks, something a bit cocky and smug in his voice.

“I _do._ It’s all good here.” Louis insists, although from the looks of things it’s clear that that is not even close to being true.

“Right, right, _right_ …” Harry nods again as he continues rocking along in his chair. He crosses his legs as he leans back to watch Louis amusedly. “Baby, I have literally no doubt in your parenting skills…I just know that sometimes all my sweet little daughter wants is…” He points back to himself as he shrugs innocently.

Louis huffs at that, becoming even more determined to get their infant daughter to stop crying all on his own. So Louis keeps trying, he hums to her, talks to her, makes all the goofy faces she likes, all while his husband watches on from the peanut gallery.

“I feel like there’s too much pressure now that you’re watching me.” Louis complains, side eyeing Harry.

“I’m not doing anything, Lou.” Harry promises, smiling dumbly with his hands steepled under his chin. “But I could, if you’d let me…”

Winter continues sobbing, her face all red and worked up as he tiny lips quiver. Louis hates to see her so upset so he finally resigns, sighing as he hands her over to Harry.

“Aww, hi Winnie the pooh. It’s alright, baby, Daddy’s here now.” Harry coos down at her as he rocks back and forth in the chair. He rubs her tummy a few times and that seems to be all it takes once again.

“Wow, Winter. Seriously.” Louis shakes his head in absolute disappointment. “ _Seriously_!” 

Harry shrugs, with a sly grin. “Welp, our daughter has spoken yet again. That’s that on that.”

Louis can’t help but sulk. “What am I doing wrong?”

“Absolutely nothing, baby.” Harry assures as he stands up and walks Winter over to her crib now that she has mellowed out. “You’re just not me and she knows it.” 

Louis doesn’t even have the chance to retort because Rory comes storming into the nursery, fully dressed with socks and shoes on. He’s also got on his coat and a backpack strapped and ready to go.

“Going somewhere, Ro?”

Rory nods once, glaring up at them. “I don’t really wanna talk to you, but I got a ‘nouncement.”

Louis and Harry share a look, before Louis answers. “Of course you do.”

“I’m leaving to live with Nana.” Rory proclaims boldly as if he’s somehow found a way to solve all of his problems.

“Here we go…” Harry sighs, fighting an eye roll.

“What, Rory?” Louis questions, not at all understanding.

“Yes. She still loves me and…and she always gives me cuddles and she…she listens to me and spends time with me and…and—I’m going!”

“Rory, you silly boy. You aren’t going anywhere, this is your home.” Louis reminds, fluffing his curls as he always does.

But Rory isn’t having any of it. “No Papa, I’m going. You have Winnie now.”

“But we want you and Winnie. You’re both our kids and we love you.”

“No.” Rory adamantly shakes his head at that, not at all pleased.

“What’s in the backpack?” Harry wonders, figuring there’s no use arguing with him.

“Things.” Rory says with a permanent rebellious frown. “Things I need to go.”

“Like what, can I see?”

Rory sighs like he’s utterly exasperated before shrugging the backpack from his shoulders and holding it up to Harry.

And boy does Harry find some treasures in there. Five scrunchies. A whole box of goldfish that he obviously stole straight from the cabinet. Six crayons, half of which are the same color of pink. His favorite teddy bear. And the TV remote from the living room.

It’s absolutely fascinating what Rory finds important enough to come with him. Clothes? Not necessary. Toothbrush? Totally optional. But an entire box of crackers? Absolutely.

“Why is the TV remote in here?” Harry inquires.

“Cuz I don’t want you to watch movies without me.” Rory answers.

Harry and Louis both bite back their laughter. It’s just another fascinating Rory priority.

“Did you ask Nana if you could live with her?” Louis asks next.

“No. But she would never say no to me…cuz she really loves me. Unlike some...people...” He glares up at them again and the level of sass is far beyond his four years of life and it’s truly shocking sometimes.

“Alright.” Harry nods again. “And one more question for you Rory, how are you going to get there?”

Rory pauses for a second, thinking. He still looks angry, with his brows pulled together as he scowls up at his parents. “Can you drive me please?” 

“Well Rory, how about I call her so you can talk to her first?”

“Fine.” He huffs, arms crossed.

Harry slips his phone from his pocket, clicking on his mother’s contact before holding the phone to his ear. Anne picks up on the third ring, her voice light as she answers, “Hello, darling.”

“Hi mum. How are you?” 

“I’m well, thanks dear. And how are you? How are my grand babies doing?”

“Well mum, that’s actually why I’m calling.” Harry glances down at the child still glowering at him. “Rory, would like to speak with you if you have a minute.”

“Oh, I always have time for my little lovebug.” Anne says fondly.

“He’ll be _so_ thrilled to hear that.” Harry answers, trying and failing to hide his sardonic tone. “Hear you go, Ro.” 

Rory grips the phone with both hands as he takes a small step away, turning around. He looks back over his shoulder at his dads. “Please don’t listen. I need private.”

“You mean privacy.” Louis corrects.

“Yes.”

“Ok, go on then. We aren’t listening.” Harry flat out lies, as parents often do with their young, naïve kids.

He waddles over to the far corner of the nursey and plops down on the floor, holding the phone to his ear with two hands held to one side of his head. Harry and Louis ‘busy’ themselves with Winter, because they are absolutely ‘not’ listening at all.

“Nana?” Rory’s tiny voice murmurs into the phone.

They can hear the muffled sound of Anne gushing over him in greeting, making him smile with both dimples appearing in his cheeks.

“Nana...I…I can’t stay in my house no more. No one loves me here. But…but you always love me so…so I wanna know if I can come be with you instead…” 

“The theatrics of the child.” Harry whispers, shaking his head

“He really knows how to sell a sob story.” Louis agrees. “We could make some serious money off of him, you know.”

“No, they don’t want me...” Rory frowns deeply in response to whatever Anne just said to him.

Anne replies something else back to him that neither of them can make out, but Rory nods his head even though she obviously can’t see it over the phone.

“’K, I will.” Rory mumbles before pausing again. “I love you too.”

And then he leaps up from the ground and practically sprints the short distance to his parents, shoving Harry’s phone back into his hand. “Nana says she wants me.” Rory tells them in all his defiant glory. “She’s my new family.”

“Rory, your grandmother has always been your family and we’re still your parents.” Louis tells him.

“No. I’m leaving forever.” 

“Oh forever hmm?” Harry hums. “That’s quite a long time.”

“Yes, it is. So…can we go?” Rory urges, suddenly in a rush as he grabs one of each of his parent’s hands, attempting to pull them out of the door. “Nana said she’s gonna take me for ice cream!”

“Why don’t you go pack some clothes in there or something.” Harry suggests and apparently in this situation, Rory doesn’t need to be told twice. He immediately drops both of their hands and darts out of the room, carting his backpack behind him.

“Are we really letting him do this?” Louis turns towards Harry.

“I don’t know, are we?” Harry returns the question with a shrug. “I mean a night at his grandmother’s house is utterly harmless.”

“Right, yeah.” Louis nods, also shrugging.

“And honestly Lou, I’m so tired, I can’t even argue with him anymore.” Harry sighs weakly. “He could tell me that he’s moving to the moon and I’d say, who do I need to call?”

Louis chuckles, nodding. “I can’t say that I would do anything different right about now.”

🗣‼️

Anne opens her front door when they arrive at her house, waving from the front step. And before Harry or Louis have even fully gotten out of the car, Rory eagerly hops out and runs across the driveway to her, backpack full of nothing bouncing behind him. He hugs himself against her legs. “Hi Nana!”

“Hi lovebug!” Anne smiles widely, cupping his cheeks as he beams up at her. “It’s so good to see you!”

Harry and Louis eventually join them at the front door with Winter in tow. The car ride put her right to sleep in her carrier and she’s yet to wake up, thank god.

“Well hello my dears, you look a bit weary.” Anne comments as she gives both Harry and Louis a warm hug in greeting.

“Mum, you would not believe…” Harry sighs, running a tired hand through his hair. They have definitely looked better, that’s for sure.

“We’ve had quite a day.” Louis agrees as he adjusts the handle of Winter’s carrier in his grasp.

“Oh my goodness, what an absolute angel—she’s so precious.” Anne instantly fonds over her youngest grandchild, absolutely fascinated by her even while she sleeps. “Louis, I swear she looks more and more like you every time I see her.”

“Doesn’t she?” Harry looks down at his sleeping daughter. “It’s kind of amazi—”

“Nana, I gotta go pee.” Rory rudely interrupts, beginning to make his departure without a single word to either Harry or Louis.

“Wait Rory—say bye to your parents.” Anne reminds easily.

“Oh yeah.” He turns back around and Harry and Louis crouch down in front of him.

“Bye, little monster.” Harry leans in to kiss his son’s forehead.

“Daddy, I’m sorry it didn’t work out. I thought I’d always be your Rory. But oh well…”

“You’re my Rory still.” Harry assures him, leaving another kiss to the tip of his nose.

“Ok if you think that.” Rory answers unphased, before turning to Louis. “Papa, you can come visit me. I love you.”

“And I love you, baby.” Louis hugs him tight, kissing both his cheeks several times.

“Too bad that’s not enough.” Rory shrugs, wiggling out of Louis’ arms. “Ok bye!”

Louis and Harry both share the same mopey, confused expression as they stand back up and watch their son retreat into his grandmother’s house.

“Alright dear, go get your things settled.” Anne calls to him as he runs off. She turns back to Harry and Louis next in question. “So, what’s this about really?”

“He’s upset that we aren’t giving him enough attention.” Louis explains.

“Not that we haven’t been paying him attention.” Harry clarifies. “He just wants _all_ the attention. And we’re still adjusting to having Winter and finding a balance for our family, but he is unsatisfied.”

“I see.” Anne nods her head slowly as she listens.

“So, he’s been on this kick about announcing everything he does because in his mind that’s how he’ll get attention from us. But then he decided he needs a whole new family that gives him real attention. So mum, congratulations, you are his ‘new’ family.” Harry air quotes.

Anne chuckles, shaking her head fondly. “That boy.”

“One of a kind, our kid.” Louis laughs along with her.

🗣‼️

“So how long until he calls us to come home?” Harry wonders out loud on the drive home from his mother’s, down one whole kid.

It’s quite weird because car rides are usually filled with nonstop chatter from the backseat. Even if Rory isn’t directly talking to them, he’s still chatting away to himself or singing a song or playing a game. It’s never, ever silent. Which is why his absence is practically deafening.

Louis pauses in thought, before turning in his seat to face Harry seriously. “Do you think we should have told him no? I mean…I’m all for giving our son the autonomy to make decisions within reason but...he’s essentially trying to run away from home, you know what I mean?”

“But it’s not like he actually ran away.” Harry points out. “He’s staying at his grandmother’s house like he does all the time.”

“Yeah, but he thinks he’s leaving us.”

“Well, he thinks a lot of things, but that doesn’t make it true.”

“Yeah…” Louis nods his head slowly, even though Harry can tell he is still in thought as he stares out of the window.

Harry takes one hand off of the wheel and rests on Louis’ thigh, squeezing gently. “Don’t worry, Lou. He’ll miss us and beg to come home.”

🗣‼️

They’re lying in bed and the house is silent. The house is silent, so the two of them should have absolutely no problem falling asleep, in fact they should be in their fucking second REM cycle by now but instead Harry is attempting to read a book and Louis is answering work emails—or more so pretending to answer emails while he perpetually zones out.

“Harry?”

“Hmm?”

“Haarrrry.” Louis groans louder this time, disregarding his laptop completely in order to move in and crowd his husband’s space. “I miss him. I miss Rory.” 

Harry sets his book down in his lap. “He’s only been gone for a few hours, Lou.” 

“Yeah, but I _miss_ him. I miss my little baby.” Louis mopes, pushing Harry’s book aside to lay his head down on Harry’s lap. “It’s so fucking quiet in here, I can’t even stand it.” 

“You do remember that he’s been away from us longer before, right?” Harry settles his hand in Louis’ hair, brushing the strands from his forehead.

“Yeah, I know, but it feels different now. There’s no reason for him to be away from us.” Louis explains longingly as he picks at a loose thread along the seam of Harry’s sweats. “Don’t you miss him, H?”

“Yeah I do, I really miss him.” Harry agrees, pouting a little bit. “I’ve been trying not to think about it, but it’s kinda hard not to when it’s so boring around here without all his chaos. Can you believe that Rory has conditioned me to feel unsettled when things are quiet?”

“I was in the loo earlier and I kept waiting for him burst through the door to come running in to tell me something that he thought couldn’t wait.” 

“I don’t think I’ve taken an uninterrupted shit since that kid learned how to walk.” Harry recounts.

“Exactly, it’s like I don’t even know how to anymore.” Louis nods, before bolting upright to face his husband in urgency. “Harry, go get my baby. Please, he needs to come home.”

Harry glances at the alarm clock on the nightstand. “It’s almost midnight, Lou.”

“I don’t care. I want him here with me.”

“He’s probably sound asleep. I know my mother is for sure.”

“But I don’t like that he’s mad at us or that he thinks we don’t love him.” 

“He knows we love him.” Harry wraps both of his arms around Louis and pulls him in close to comfort him. “We’ll get him first thing in the morning.” 

Louis slowly relaxes against Harry’s chest as he curls up to him. “Promise?”

“Promise.” Harry nods, trailing his fingers up and down Louis’ spine. “You know we could take advantage of this alone time. Winter should sleep for at least a few more hours…”

“Harry, I’m in no mood.” Louis huffs, unmoving as Harry dips down to kiss on his neck.

“But Lou, we haven’t had sex in ages.” Harry murmurs to the soft skin behind Louis’ ear. “Two months, baby. Two whole months since you’ve seen me naked.”

“We live together. We’re married. I see you naked every day.” Louis answers flatly.

“Ok, but have you done anything about it? No.”

Louis sits up abruptly and just looks at him. “How can you think about that at a time like this?”

“A time like what? Our son is safe and happy as can be at my mum’s house!” Harry reminds. “He wasn’t kidnapped, he didn’t really run away. He’s being dramatic as usual.”

“Yeah, but I’m still worried about him!” Louis insists.

“Can you be worried about him while we finally get off?”

Louis rolls his eyes, shrugging Harry off as he begins to get out of bed. “I’m gonna go talk to Winter.” 

“Ok…” Harry scuffs flippantly, matching Louis’ own eyeroll.

Louis spins around, critically narrowing his eyes at Harry. “What was that?”

Harry meets his gaze in mild annoyance. “What.”

“That tone of voice.” Louis continues glaring at his husband.

“Louis, what are you talking about?”

There’s suddenly so much displaced tension in the room, built up among layers of pure exhaustion, worry, and uneasiness, allowing them to easily make something out of literally nothing.

“Your tone Harry, I’m talking about your _tone_.” Louis snaps irritably. “It’s ugly and rude and I really don’t need it right now.”

“Oh, come off it, Louis. All I said was ok!”

Louis huffs, shaking his head as he continues towards the bedroom door. But before he leaves, he stops again. “You know, it’s your fault he left.”

“How is it my fault?” Harry argues, sitting up in their bed.

“You encouraged it, so it’s your fault.”

“I didn’t encourage it—I _never_ encouraged anything about this!”

“Yeah. Yeah you did.” Louis maintains, staring Harry down from his position by the door. “You made it into a fucking joke and you let him go.”

Harry glares back indignantly. “Well even if that were true, you certainly didn’t stop him either so…”

Louis’ face contorts in offense. He opens and closes his mouth several times to say something else but then seems to ultimately decide against it. “Ok. I’m going to the nursery.”

Harry almost replies with another ‘ok’, but stops himself, choosing to stay silent as Louis leaves their bedroom.

🗣‼️

Things are still mildly tense between them the next morning, neither Harry nor Louis having slept very well yet again. However, this time it was less due to their children’s sleep schedules and more so due to incessant worrying over their missing child.

Harry wouldn’t really consider what happened between them to be a fight, but it’s definitely throwing off their usual balanced rhythm together. They didn’t talk much as they got Winter up and ready to go or when they got situated in the car, using clipped answers for everything. It makes for such a weird, foreign energy that Harry hopes will dissipate once equilibrium is restored to their household.

Anne greets them at the door similarly to how she did the previous day, but Rory is nowhere to be found.

“Rory, your parents are here.” Anne announces through the house, but Harry and Louis are met with no response whatsoever, no little legs running to meet them, no usual shrieks of excitement that usually occur whenever they come to pick their son up. She turns back to Harry and Louis and shrugs. “Well, he’s in the kitchen if you want to go talk to him there.”

Winter begins fussing, fully awake and mildly irritated to be confined to her carrier for a second day in a row. Before Harry and Louis can do anything about it, her grandmother is already on the job. “Oh don’t worry, I’ve got her.” Anne rescues Winter from her carrier to soothe her cries. “Hi, my sweet little angel. What’s wrong, baby?” She coddles as she carts the baby off to another room, shouldering Winter’s diaper bag like a seasoned pro.

Louis and Harry make their way to the kitchen only to find Rory sitting at the table making an absolute mess of the muffin he is attempting to eat.

“Hi Rory!” Louis greets first, smiling warmly.

“Oh hi.” Rory mumbles, not even bothering to look up from his little muffin.

“Oh hi?” Louis copies, frowning at the lack of enthusiasm portrayed by their son. “Rory, sweetheart, aren’t you happy to see us? I’m happy to see you.”

“Mhmm.” Rory answers nonchalantly.

Louis sits down close to him on the bench, gently brushing his curls from his face. “Ro, my love, we have an announcement. We miss you and we love you and we want you to come home.”

Rory finally looks up at him then. “But I like it here, Papa. It’s just me and Nana and…and we do everything together. We made muffins and she teached me how to crack an egg. And then we watched a movie and…and…I’m having fun.”

With that he gets up from the table and promptly exits the kitchen without another word, leaving Louis gaping after him for a solid minute. Louis then turns his attention to his husband urgently. “Harry, talk to him. We’re losing our baby. He’s supposed to be missing us and he was just like ‘oh hi’.”

“I know, I—”

“Oh hi? Oh _HI_!” Louis rants, utterly offended and definitely a bit hurt. “What is this?”

“I’ll talk to him.” Harry promises, already on his way to find his son. He finds Rory in the bedroom that used to be his once upon a time when he was a kid. He is sitting on the floor, having the time of his life crashing toy cars together with his own creative sound effects.

Harry sits down across from him and mirrors his crisscrossed legs, waiting a few moments before attempting to speak to him. “Rory, honey, Papa and I really want you to come.”

“Thank you, Daddy. But no thank you.”

“But we’re so sad without you, RoRo.”

Rory gradually lifts his gaze from his toy car to his father. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” Harry nods a bit pitifully. “We’re so, so sad. I miss my little monster.” 

“Hmm.” Rory hums, fiddling with his car again.

“We were worrying about you all night because we miss you so much.” Harry continues, tilting his head as he watches Rory.

“I’m sorry, Daddy.”

“So does that mean you’re ready to come home now?” Harry questions after Rory doesn’t say anything further.

“No.” Rory shakes his curls.

“What?”

“You asked if I was ready. I’m not.” Rory says simply and just like he did before, he gets up and just leaves Harry sitting on the floor of his childhood bedroom without another word.

Harry leaps up from the floor to do something he hasn’t done since he actually lived under this roof, but something that even grown adults with children do in times of crisis: run to his mother.

“Muuuum!” Harry calls urgently, storming through the house until he finds her in the sitting room reading a book. Winter is back in her carrier as peaceful as can be next to her.

“Mum, please tell that little kid he has to leave your house.” Harry demands seriously.

“I’ll do no such thing, Harry.” Anne answers calmly, setting her book down in her lap.

“But _mum_ —”

“I’m not kicking out my grand baby.” Anne interrupts. “Besides I quite like the company and he’s such a sweetheart. You and Lou are doing a wonderful job with him, dear.”

“Well thank you, mother. And now I’d like to take my child home with me if that’s quite alright.”

Anne gives him a disapproving look that only a parent can. “Don’t you sass me, young man.”

“Sorry mum, sorry—really I am sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.” Harry apologizes, running a weary hand through his hair as he exhales a sigh. “I’m just—so tired? All the time I’m so fucking—sorry—tired. And like? It’s just a lot you know? Two kids is a _lot_ …”

“Ooh I know, baby I’ve been there.” Anne nods in understanding, standing to pull her son into a reassuring hug.

“And I’ve got the most supportive husband on earth, but I’ve been snappy at him too which is so awful cuz we are never like that with each other, but maybe we’re just too overwhelmed.” Harry rambles as Anne rubs his back soothingly. “Honestly, how do people do it alone? I can’t even imagine.”

“It’s not easy. Even with two people it’s not a cakewalk.” Anne replies. “Especially when you’ve got such an opinionated, stubborn child. It must be a hard road back to his good graces.”

“What gave it away.” Harry sulks a bit, eyebrows pulled together in a frown.

“Aww, _Harry_. Thirty-one and you’re still my frowny little boy.” Anne squeezes her son’s cheeks “He’s very much like you, you know?”

Harry sighs, feigning exasperation as his mother dotes on him.

“I can remember a time or two when you got so upset that you told me you were going to leave one day and see if anyone noticed your absence.” Anne recalls. “And if you weren’t plotting your escape, you would write little passive aggressive letters about how mad Gemma made you.”

“Ok but at the time, Gemma deserved every one of those letters. She harassed me, mum.” Harry defends himself, brows still furrowed.

“Rory loves you and just like you, he wants to be right and make a point.” Anne tells him seriously. “You were the baby of the family, but I have a feeling that if I had a baby after you, you would have acted the same way that your son currently is.”

Harry deeps his frown at her, slightly offended because she may be right, but that’s not something he really wants to admit right now. “And how would you have handled this? If it were me?”

“Space and love, dear.” Anne taps on his cheek affectionately. “Space and love. Give him the space to come to his own conclusions and make sure that he knows you love him, and he’ll come along. You always did.”

Harry exhales heavily as he nods, knowing from his own example that his mum is right. If Rory is anything like Harry, which history has already proven he is, all he can do with his stubborn child is wait for him to see reason through his own eyes.

“Also, work it out with your husband, Harry. All you’ve got is each other.”

🗣‼️

The car ride home is even more quiet than the initial drive the day before was. Well quiet aside from the muffled radio on low volume and a few occasional gurgling noises from Winter in her car seat. But it’s the kind of quiet that just seems to make them both more tense and Louis absolutely hates it.

When they get back home, they retreat into different parts of the house without much conversation. Harry takes Winter while Louis finds himself alone in the kitchen. He leans towards the sink as he mindlessly washes the many dishes that have somehow accumulated. He is actively trying to distract himself from the fact that his son is refusing to come home where he belongs, but nothing seems to be working. And on top of that, the unnecessary bickering with Harry continues to weigh on him.

Although, by the time Louis has cleaned three dishes, he’s already made up his mind that once he’s done cleaning, he’s going straight to go find his husband and apologize. It’s hard enough not having one of his kids at home, there’s no reason to make it harder by uselessly distancing himself from his best friend.

Louis is so zoned out that he doesn’t even notice Harry quietly come into their kitchen. Harry hooks his chin over Louis’ shoulder from behind, sliding both arms around his husband’s waist. “I’m sorry…”

“I’m sorry too.” Louis answers softly, completely relaxing against Harry. “I was actually just thinking about how I was going to go find you and apologize.”

Harry squeezes him a little closer, nuzzling his head down. “Really, Lou?”

“Yeah, love.” Louis dries his hands before turning around in Harry’s arms to face him. “I’m really sorry for taking my frustration out on you. None of this is your fault, I never should have said that. I don’t like how short we’ve been with each other recently.”

“I know me either, it’s so stupid.” Harry agrees with an apologetic nod. “The stress of it all just got the best of me and my attitude was kinda shitty and I’m so sorry, baby. We’re a team. Always.”

“Always.” Louis repeats softly. “It doesn’t feel right when we aren’t on the same side.”

“It’s awful—it feels so fucking lonely.” Harry admits. “All day I’ve just been missing you.”

“Me too, baby.” Louis affectionately palms Harry’s cheeks, leaning up a bit to seal their lips together.

Harry’s mouth easily parts for Louis’ tongue as a simple kiss turns heated in a manner of seconds. And with the dry spell they’ve been having, one thing quickly turns into another and before either of them know it, Harry and Louis are essentially dry humping each other against the countertop, panting as they tug at random articles of clothing.

“Now?” Harry murmurs against Louis’ lips, already fiddling with the clasp of Louis’ jeans.

Louis nods frantically, both hands tangled up in Harry’s curls on either side of his head as his lips trail down his neck. “Yes, now.”

“Right here?”

“Why not, right here?”

It’s a valid point that can’t really be argued by either party and so they do. With one kid missing in action and the other asleep in the nursery, Harry and Louis finally break their unintended celibacy streak right there on the wood flooring of their kitchen. Definitely not how Louis envisioned his day would go, but he certainly can’t complain because it is exactly what they both so desperately needed.

“When’s the last time we did it in the kitchen?” Louis asks, utterly spent as he attempts to come down from the tingling high his body is still experiencing aftershocks of.

“Mmm I don’t know…but it was sooo _healing_.” Harry breathes out meditatively, blissed out with his eyes still closed and his chest still heaving.

Louis laughs, leaning back towards Harry. “ _Totally_ restorative to our marriage.”

“Ooh absolutely.” Harry agrees. “It was practically _medicinal_.”

“Please _stop.”_ Louis emphasizes in the same ridiculous cadence as Harry.

“God, the _therapeutic_ power that has. The _curative_ nature of it…truly _transformative_.” Harry accentuates stupidly as if giving a TED talk on herbal supplements and not advocating for their kitchen sexcapades. “I am essentially _reborn_ in this moment.”

Louis is practically wheezing with laughter at how bizarre his husband is and Harry giggles along with him. He curls himself against Louis’ side as they laugh together over absolutely nothing, naked on their kitchen floor.

Louis squeezes Harry tight, pressing his lips to his temple. “I love you ridiculous amounts, you know.”

Harry squeezes Louis back just as tight. “No, I don’t know anything about that, tell me.”

“You big dummy.” Louis laughs as he playfully knocks his elbow into Harry’s side.

“Is that your best playground insult?” Harry cackles to himself.

“You big dildo.” Louis amends with a smirk.

Harry laughs even harder. “Um, what kind of playground were you hanging out on for that to be a common insult?”

“You don’t know the life I lived as a kid. There were some wild times at the swing set.”

“Clearly.” Harry grins. “Can’t wait for young Forrest to start repeating things he hears at school.”

“Start? Darling, he is already well on his way. I mean the whole announcement thing may not be an insult, but it’s still a perfect example of him repeating something he learned.”

“God, imagine the things he’ll be saying by the end of the year. I’m already tired.”

Louis sighs, shaking his head at the thought. “Haz, what if we can’t handle this? What if two kids is too much for us?”

“I’m still holding out for Rory to just be in a phase or something.”

“What phase, Harry? Snap out it, this is permanent.”

“I refuse to believe we are stuck with a terror for the rest of our lives.”

“Well believe it. He’ll just keep on morphing from toddler terror to little kid terror to big kid terror to terror teenager to his final form of disaster adult.” Louis explains confidently. “And all we can do is love him through it all.”

“Oh my god…but what about Winter? What if she’s…” Harry’s eyes widen as he fully processes his own thought. “Louis, what if Winnie is Rory’s chaotic _twin_? Can you imagine having two Rory’s running around?”

“I am so fucking triggered right now.” Louis shakes his head adamantly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Please don’t speak that into existence.”

“Or what if they team up and rise against us and we completely lose our sanity. Like _imagine_. Rory, in all his manipulativeness, recruits Winter and teaches her his ways and they rule our house.” Harry depicts as though it’s some kind of twisted comic book series.

“But have you considered the even more shocking possibility that Winnie could become the true mastermind and far outshine anything Rory has _ever_ done.”

Harry gasps outwardly at the thought. “Oh my god, no? No, she would never…Louis? _No_!”

“She very well could, H. We just don’t know…” Louis shakes his head yet again, sighing to himself. “…and that’s the scariest part.”

“We’re fucked.” Harry summarizes easily in an inappropriately cheerful tone, resigning to their eventual doom.

“Oh 500%.” Louis agrees wholeheartedly and they both laugh manically like it’s the funniest thought in the world instead of their very likely reality. Laughter over tears, right?

“At least we have each other to keep us sane.” Harry offers brightly. “Or somewhat sane…”

“True. I’m glad that you’re my teammate in life.”

“If you weren’t my teammate in life, I’d be lost.” Harry confesses. “I’d collapse from sheer exhaustion and Rory would dance on my corpse.”

Louis grins. “And draw all over your face.”

“Oh my god, _yes_.” Harry agrees wholeheartedly with widened eyes. “The other day he told me he wants to give me new tattoos—did I tell you that yet? I’m so fucking delirious I can’t remember what I have and haven’t told you.”

Louis laughs, sitting up a bit. “No? I don’t think you told me? Or maybe I’m too tired to remember?”

“Ok well, you were at work I think, and this conversation was during one of our famous _I’m-taking-a-shit-why-are-you-in-here_ talks.” 

“Your favorite father-son bonding activity.” Louis teases with a knowing grin.

“Right. So, I kid you not—he just shows up in the bathroom with a fucking sharpie in his hand and stares at me. Just _stares_. Like a solid two minutes of silence for no reason whatsoever. And I’m like…um? Can I help you?” Harry makes a confused, skeptical face as he relives the moment. “And then he’s like ‘Daddy, I think you need new arm scribbles’.”

Louis cracks up at that, as well as Harry’s impression of their son’s high voice. “Arm scribbles?”

“Arm scribbles.” Harry confirms, biting back a laugh.

“And what did you say?”

“I said, where did you get that marker, Forrest? And he just kept looking at me…holding the sharpie like it’s a weapon.” Harry describes animatedly. “Then he locks eyes with me before saying ‘It doesn’t matter. Answer the question’, and I was fucking _terrified.”_

“The way you’re describing this makes it sound like an actual horror movie.”

“Because it was!” Harry insists, sitting up. “I literally was scared for my life. I was so unprepared for that situation. All I wanted to do was use the toilet in peace, but apparently that’s asking too much.”

Louis loses it laughing, perfectly envisioning the scene. “I want an arm scribble from Rory.”

“Ask and you shall receive, babe.” Harry replies, laying back down. “Actually, don’t ask. Just sit on the toilet and wait in the bathroom minding your own business and he’ll come to you when you least expect it and probably don’t want it.”

They both end up clutching their sides with laughter yet again, somehow finding themselves in such a newly discovered airy mood.

“I feel drunk…or something. Hazy?”

“I’m telling you, Lou…” Harry peeks up at him, smirking. “Medicinal powers…”

“Stop.” Louis starts giggling again, holding Harry to his side.

The baby monitor positioned on the counter sputters to life with the telltale echoes of Winter waking up, what sounds like her hunger cry suddenly filling the kitchen.

They both exhale as their post sex bubble pops and reality hits them again. Both of them coming to grips with the realization that they really are going to have to get up from the floor.

“I’ll go get her.” Louis offers, twisting to face Harry.

Harry nods slowly. “Ok, I’ll start cleaning up in here.”

Louis and Harry each get up and stumble back into their clothes that are scattered all over their kitchen. Once Louis gets his jumper over his head, he begins to make his way in the direction of the nursery.

“Lou?”

“Hmm?” Louis pauses in the doorway, looking over his shoulder.

“I love you.” Harry replies simply, shrugging a bit. “That’s it. That’s my announcement.”

Louis smiles fondly, retreating back into the kitchen to embrace his husband in a hug. “I love you too, you big dildo.”

🗣‼️

“I found it!” Harry yells through the house, holding up the long forgotten monkey pacifier in victory. He excitedly runs through the halls, taking the stairs two at a time as he hightails it to the nursery. “Look, Louis!”

“Oh my god, Winnie we’re saved!” Louis cheers, bouncing the baby up and down, which only makes her adorably giggle. “Where was it?”

“In the sink, under all the dishes!” Harry recounts, super pumped about this. You’ve really got to celebrate the little victories. “Can you believe that?”

“Kinda yeah, actually.” Louis chuckles, nodding.

“Ok well, I guess yeah…it’s not that unbelievable.” Harry agrees, tilting his head. “But I cleaned it and everything so it’s all good to go sooo yay!”

“Thank you, love. You’re my hero.” Louis kisses his cheek. “And Winnie’s hero. Right, Win?”

“Poohbear, I did it all for you.” Harry tells her in a baby voice, making sweet kissy faces at his daughter. “Yes, yes I did.”

Armed with Winter’s favorite pacifier, Harry and Louis easily get Winter settled and sleeping in her crib. And even after she’s officially asleep, the two of them just stay leaned against the railing, watching her in fascination.

“I think she sleeps like you.” Harry comments quietly.

Louis glances at him curiously. “What does that even mean, Harry?”

“It means she sleeps like you.” Harry repeats again. “You make that face when you sleep.”

“No, I don’t.”

“How would you know? Do you watch yourself sleep?” Harry questions sarcastically. “Because I watch you sleep all the time and you look just like her. You’re a very cute sleeper.”

“Um…thank you?”

“Own it, Lou.” Harry leans against Louis’ side, slinging one arm over his back. “You’re just a cute person. You sleep like a little baby and I love that about you.”

The doorbell rings, interrupting their very serious discussion about Louis’ sleeping patterns. They both share a look, silently wondering if it could possibly be their long lost stubborn son finally coming home to them, but also not wanting to jinx it. Harry and Louis stand up straight, and Harry keeps his arm slung around Louis’s waist as they make their way to the front door together.

Upon opening the door, they’re practically ecstatic to find Anne and Rory hand in hand on the doorstep. They can hardly contain their shared relief as they both drop down right in front of him, ready to shower their son in all the love and attention in the world.

“Go on, dear.” Anne encourages giving Rory’s hand a squeeze. 

“I got a ‘nouncement.” Rory says slowly. “I wanna come home now.”

“Really, baby?” Louis doesn’t hesitate to pull Rory right into his arms, nearly crushing him with how tightly he hugs him to his chest.

Rory hugs him back. “Yes, I miss you and I miss Daddy and...and…I miss Winnie too…” 

“Sweetheart, we missed you so much.” Harry says and Rory folds himself into his arms next.

“I love Nana but…but she doesn’t pet my hair like Papa does. Or um…make pancakes like Daddy does…it’s just not the same. So I…I wanna be home now. With my family.”

Louis peppers Rory’s face in a ridiculous number of kisses, making him absolutely preen and giggle. “We want you to be home now too.”

“Home just isn’t the same without you, Ro.” Harry whispers as he ceaselessly kisses the other side of Rory’s face, making good on their promise to shower him in love.

“We love you, we love you, we _love_ you.” Louis and Harry promise through their affectionate kisses, happy to have their baby back in their arms.

“Thank you mum for driving him home.” Harry says as he stands back to his feet.

“Yes, thank you so much and for taking care of him.” Louis echoes at Harry’s side.

“Oh, it’s absolutely no problem at all, loves.” Anne shrugs it off easily, before stooping down for Rory. “Come give me a cuddle, Forrest. I’ll miss you, lovebug.”

Rory falls into her arms and hugs her tight. “Bye Nana!”

“You can come visit me anytime, ok?”

Rory nods his head, sweetly kissing his grandmother’s cheek. “I love you.”

“Well loves, I hate to run but I’ve got to be off—got a few errands to run before it gets dark.” Anne says as she straightens back up to full height. She leans in and loops her arms around Louis first. “And please give my love to Winnie.” She says as she moves to hug Harry goodbye next.

“Of course, we will.”

“Bye mum, drive safe.”

And it’s not but a few seconds after they’ve said their goodbyes and _I love you’s_ to Anne and closed the door behind her, that Rory is piping up again.

“Wait, before I really come home, I got another ‘nouncement.” Rory declares.

“Rory, I would be shocked if you didn’t.” Harry answers, looking down at him.

“I want a puppy.”

Louis raises an eyebrow. “A puppy?”

“Yes, I want a puppy.” Rory repeats, widening his eyes in seriousness.

“We’ll talk about it, honey.” Harry offers, trying to appease him and move on.

But Rory isn’t falling for it today. “No. No, talking…that just means never.”

“Not true.” Harry denies.

“Yes true!” Rory argues. “I never even got my fishy! Did you talk about that?”

Harry blinks as his kid essentially calls him right out to his face. Isn’t it so lovely that he’s home?

“Well ok, we can get the fishy.” Louis tells him, glancing at Harry and shrugging because truly a fish is harmless. And no offense to the fish, but Rory will probably kill it on accident or when he eventually loses interest. RIP.

“No Papa, I want a puppy now.” Rory states, making his demands clear. “ _Only_ a puppy.”

Harry and Louis share another look, silently question each other how they should get out of this one.

“I’m gonna name her Baby and she will be the only baby in this house besides me.” Rory continues.

“Your sister is a baby.” Harry reminds.

“Um, no.” Rory denies with a simple shake of his curls. “My puppy is a baby.”

Louis looks at his son, confused. “You don’t have a puppy...”

“I will.” Rory claims confidently. “And her name. Is. _Baby_!”

“Rory, listen—”

But listening is not on the itinerary for today as it hardly ever is with Rory. “I _need_ her! Cuz next time when you don’t listen…I can just tell Baby. Cuz she will always listen to me.”

The irony of this four-year-old’s statement is outlandish. Boldly talking about his parents not listening as he refuses to listen to anything they have to say.

“I need her! Please, pleaaassseee! Please!” Rory begs, pouting up at them as he jumps up and down.

“Ok sweetheart, we’ll get you a puppy.” Louis gives in easily, playing with Rory’s hair.

Harry gasps outright at Louis, eyes practically bulging out of his head as his husband’s promise registers in his head. He was nowhere near caving and yet Louis doesn’t have a firm bone left in his body. “What the fu—”

Louis shuts Harry up with a very tight squeeze of his hand and a very, _very_ pointed look.

“Yaaay!” Rory cheers, running around in circles as he celebrates before colliding into Louis’ legs and hugging him tight. “Thank you, Papa!”

“You’re welcome, baby.” Louis smiles softly. “Now go put your stuff away, ok?”

“Ok!”

“Louis! _LOUIS!”_ Harry bursts, once Rory has disappeared from the room. _“_ Are you fucking kidding me right now!?”

Louis can’t even get a word in before Harry completely flips out and loses it.

“Louis Tomlinson! Hear me, your husband, when I say I can _not_ handle a dog baby, a real baby and a four-year-old baby!”

“Har—”

“What happened to making decisions together? As _teammates_?”

“Harry! Love! Of! My! Life! _Relax_!” Louis grabs him by both shoulders, forcing Harry to meet his eyes. “We are making decisions together, I promise. It’s just damage control for now. We can talk him out of it. Let’s just be happy he’s home and content and call it a win for the day.”

“You say that now but…” Harry shakes his head regretfully. “When you say ‘talk him out of it’ you know that means it’s not happening—there is no talking Rory out of anything you’ve promised him, he’s far too smart for that. And even if it was possible, Rory would totally blame me for killing his puppy dreams. You wouldn’t even be affected by his wrath while I would have to grow eyes in the back of my head just to keep my life!”

“That’s not true.” Louis denies. “I’ll tell him myself and I—”

“Oh please. _Please_ …” Harry practically falls over as he laughs hysterically, shaking his head at the lies Louis is trying to sell him. “No, you _won’t_. You wouldn’t deny that boy anything and you know it. I don’t even think you possess the ability to say no to him.” He says, speaking a truth they both know. “Just admit we’re about to commit parental suicide and adopt a dog.”

Louis stares at him guiltily, biting his bottom lip. “…I kinda want a family dog though…”

“No, no…no—I don’t believe you.” Harry denies, continuing to shake his head. “You’re just saying that because you want whatever Rory wants.”

“No, I actually do want a family dog, H. I love dogs. We should adopt a puppy.” Louis says seriously. “And I think it could be really good for him.”

“Oh my god…” Harry groans, tossing his head back in agony as mental visions of what his life will look like with a dog added in the mix begin flashing before his eyes. “You really hate me don’t you…”

“Please baby, _please_.” Louis begs him, pouting as he encircles both arms around Harry’s waist. “Let us have a dog. Think of all the family memories, H.”

“We already average six minutes of sleep per night and now you want to voluntarily cut it down to three minutes.”

“You can’t put a price on happiness. It’ll make the people you love so happy, Haz.”

“But do you know who is going to be coming home from work to pick up dog shit? Me. Do you know who is going to have to wake up at the crack of dawn to take the dog for walks? Me. Do you know who is going to spend hours training that dog? Once again me. Dog vomit, dog piss, dog shit— Me, me, _me_!”

“I’ll help you, I swear.” Louis promises genuinely, still holding Harry tight. “And I’ll make sure Rory does too. It could teach him responsibility.”

“Responsibility my ass.” Harry grumbles.

He can already see it now, ‘ _Daddy, I can’t play with Baby right now. I’m too busy.’_ or _‘But Daddy, I didn’t know she had to pee’_ or _‘It’s not my fault she chewed up your favorite shoe, Daddy.’_

A fucking nightmare.

Louis runs his hands up and down Harry’s sides gently as he gazes into his eyes. “It’ll be good, love. Just think about it. For me…” He purrs in an especially soft voice, as he leans up to kiss the corners of Harry’s mouth.

And it’s absolutely fucking ridiculous that Harry can physically feel himself starting to cave despite knowing exactly how much of a disaster idea this is. Louis has got him 100% whipped and he knows it. Harry just can’t say no to him just like Louis can’t bring it within himself to say no to Rory. This cycle is seriously going to get them into so much trouble, it’s practically a guarantee at this point.

“I have an announcement. I _really_ don’t think Rory got his manipulation skills from me.”


End file.
